What is a title search?

A title search is the research step behind every title policy. The title company examines public records, including deeds, mortgages, court judgments, and tax rolls, to build the property’s chain of ownership and reveal anything that could affect your rights: outstanding liens, unpaid property taxes, easements, boundary issues, or competing claims. Whatever turns up is listed and, where needed, resolved before closing. The search is what lets the company issue title insurance with confidence, and it’s why a clean closing usually means problems were found and fixed before you ever signed.